A card connector having a card detection switch for detecting the insertion of a memory card in order to turn a power source on or off, corresponding to the insertion or removal of a memory card has been proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open (Kokai) Application No. 2000-48916.
FIG. 17 illustrates a card detection switch of a conventional card connector. Disclosed in FIG. 17 is first switch member 852 and second switch member 853 of a card detection switch. As illustrated, first switch member 852 and second switch member 853 are arranged side-by-side in a width direction of the memory card, together with terminals connected to the contact pads of the memory card and fitted on a bottom plate of a housing. Further, first switch member 852 and second switch member 853 extend in the insertion direction of the memory card as indicated by Arrow P. First switch member 852 and second switch member 853 are arranged parallel to each other, and do not come into contact with each other while the memory card is not inserted into the housing.
Pressing part 852f, bent in an upwardly convex shape and protruding into the insertion space for the memory card, is formed in close proximity to a tip of first switch member 852. Contact part 852c, extending sideways and reaching a point above contact part 853c of second switch member 853, is connected to a tip of first switch member 852. Further, contact part 852c is positioned above and apart from contact part 853c of second switch member 853 in a state where the memory card is not inserted into the housing.
When the memory card is inserted into the insertion space of the card connector, a tip of the memory card abuts against pressing part 852f of first switch member 852 and moves in a direction indicated by Arrow P along the slope thereof, thus pressing first switch member 852 downward. This causes contact part 852c of first switch member 852 to abut against the upper surface of contact part 853c of second switch member 853. The card detection switch is then brought into an electrical conduction state and detects insertion of the memory card.
As illustrated in FIG. 17, in the conventional card connector, first switch member 852 and second switch member 853 of the card detection switch are arranged side-by-side, together with terminals to be connected to the contact pads of the memory card. It is thus difficult to narrow the pitch of the terminals, making it equally as difficult to adapt to a memory card of small size having contact pads with a narrow pitch.
It is further difficult to use the card detection switch as an identification switch configured to discriminate between a memory card intended for a card connector and an adapter in which a memory card different from the memory card is fitted. Assume that an adapter is used including a projection formed in the central part of the front end thereof for identifying a memory card intended for a card connector. When first switch member 852 and second switch member 853 of the card detection switch are arranged in a central part of the memory card in a width direction, it is difficult to fit terminals to be connected to the contact pads positioned in the central part of the memory card in a width direction.
Moreover, contact parts 852c and 853c of the card detection switch are positioned inward from pressing part 852f with respect to the insertion direction of the memory card. To enable detection of a projection formed at the front end of an adapter, first switch member 852 and second switch member 853 extend further inward from pressing part 852f against which the projection abuts. This results in a larger dimension of the card connector with respect to the insertion direction of a memory card and a larger-size card connector.
It would be thus advantageous to develop a card connector that overcomes the above-referenced disadvantages.